Ask ProPaintball: Interview with Lane Wright, PSP Events

In last weeks PSP paintball rumor report we unveiled several possible changes in store for the 2011 paintball season. As many of you will recall, the rumor report was met with a mixed reaction. Many players have been debating what sort of impact the changes might have on league play, team composition, and local fields. With that in mind, ProPaintball will be interviewing PSP Commissioner Lane Wright. Those of you familiar with Lane know him as a straight shooter and not one to dodge difficult questions, or in this case, make difficult decisions. This is a great opportunity to interact with a well respected member of the paintball industry. We invite you to submit your questions. Please keep your questions to one per comment, respectful and on topic.

57 Responses

Will you consider bringing back d side coaching and layouts? It has nothing to do with costs and would keep many teams on board. Keep the larger fields and bunkers, but don’t take away the coaching and prelayouts. Any kind of compromise will keep teams from jumping shit.

I don’t understand why everyone keeps claiming that releasing layouts doesn’t increase costs. IT MAKES PERFECT SENSE. Look at every successful, consistent, divisional team of the past few years, they’ve stayed at the top because they have the resources locally to do so. Example: Gridlock.. paintball needs to go back to individual skill and dedication wherever you live, instead of it being all about the teams with the most practice resources, the current format does NOT help a sport like paintball grow. At all.

So this is here so that teams who can’t practice a lot can compete? I would rather know that because I put in more effort to practice than anyone else that I am the best. It’s not fair that just because a team doesn’t practice as much as me that they should given help for not putting all the MONEY and TIME and EFFORT that I do. It’s stupid if you can’t practice, don’t complain about losing.

I will always fully support any decision made by the PSP in order to grow the sport of paintball. The extending of the field, the new bunker design, and not releasing the layouts prior to the events do not bother me in the least. However X-Ball when first introduced, was a new way of playing competitive paintball, a new challenge. Having a designated pit coach has always been a part of X-Ball. Understanding the reasons why the other changes have been made (to bring in new players, and generate more revenue for the league), I am confused as to why pit coaching is being removed from the sport? Does eliminating this allow for more players to compete in X-ball? By taking away our right to coach, X-Ball has in a way taken a step back and is now like the 5-Man rules of the past. Why change one of X-Ball’s distinguishing and most exciting features?

How will you ensure that teams don’t get a hold of field layouts prior to the events and will teams be allowed to practice the layout after they see it when they arrive to the tournament? *For example if a team arrives on tuesday and they see the field layout will they be allowed to go practice that layout at a different paintball facility before they actually play the tournament on that thursday?

Every year the PSP changes and I am ok with that because rules change in every type of league year in and year out. However, the changes this year are a lot more significant than the ramp bps of a gun, roster limit or match time, etc. These changes dramatically affect the game we as players have come to know and love and because of it my team is left in a quandry, what do we do? Would you be willing to reconsider the releasing of the layouts prior to the events, even put a time line on it if you have to. Give us something to work towards and learn between events. How are teams supposed to keep competitive motivation between the events without a layout to prepare for? Furthermore, with all of these changes in field size, bunker positioning, etc could you/PSP please provide us, the teams and players, with some sample layouts so that we can know what to expect and how the fields play with these proposed changes incoporated? My team practices on a regular basis and at this point we do not have a past layout to use that incoporates these changes and it is very frustrating to say the least.
Regarding the elimination of coaching. You are eliminating one of the two major things that sets your league apart from the NPPL. Why is it necessary to eliminate pit side coaching entirely? If you don’t want it on the sidelines, then relegate it to the pits only. Are teams going to be penalized for talking in the pit? If so, how and what type of penalty will be attributed? Often times pits can get heated, not to mention there is a lot of game planning going on. Isn’t there a possibility that this could be misconstrued as coaching from a judges viewpoint?

I just don’t know anymore and I am looking for clarity so that I can get my team prepared to compete this upcoming season. I have so many questions that I would like resolution to, I could go on and on. We are from the north east so the clock has already begun to tic w/mother nature. What should we do?

Lane, could you please give us a detailed reasoning behind the changes made for the 2011 season? Specifically, why do you think bigger people will leave their current leagues simply because the PSP’s fields are longer? Also, what would have been the consequences in not making these changes.
Thank You

How are any of the changes going to make PSP cheaper so more people can play? What are established fields without these new bunkers going to do? Either go bankrupt or players wont be able to actually practice the bunkers along with not even knowing the layouts. how will this draw more players???

Why would you need to shoot more paint? Personally I like the changes. The game will go back to being about who plays better paintball, not who knows the layout better. This is paintball in the raw; back to what it used to be. A game about quick thinking, and sheer skill. The old school players did fine back in the day, and they played unknown sections of woods. I think we’ll be fine.

Have any steps been undertaken to merge the PSP and NPPL?
What regional feeder series will be associated with the PSP for 2011?
What changes DIDN’T make the cut? Anything crazy that was put on the table?

Does the psp realize that by changing the size of the field forces paintball fields to invest, in an already bad econemy That their is a risk that some fields will stop their airball field because of the heavy investements that they have to do ( turf fields ) that with less fields, there will be less players.. How can this be good for paintball or the psp ?

Look the new rules are fine, ppl dont like change at first, but psp changes there rules every year so what ever, but if u really want people to come back into your league, you know what u have to do. Bring back a money prize, hell only make it for pros. Pro paintball players need a little help since u dont give them any!

How do you put up with all the squealing and ill-informed critics without going on a shooting spree and killing an entire street of people? Seriously, how do you do it? You work to keep these people happy, and improve the stability/viability of the league, and then you have to answer to all the hate from people who would rather go down on the titanic than run an extra 10′ on a break-out.
Stay Strong Lane, and for the record, you shouldn’t have agreed to the interview. No good can come from it. Too many people have already proved themselves to be incapable of understanding the reasons for change – arguing with them is pointless – There’s no way they can understand the business side of the game – just look at their posts…

What would you attribute as the reason for the rapid decline of paintball these past few years? It seems like the “its the economy” argument holds less water every year. It also seems to me that small changes (at least from the perspective of recreation and non-players) are made every year and yet the numbers continue to decline. This would suggest that psp, xball, and perhaps the industry as a whole has all but failed to grow the sport. Has the PSP ever considered making DRASTIC changes such as entirely new formats, bunkers made from a different material, etc? Finally, would you be willing to make such dramatic changes, at the risk of upsetting current players and manufacturers, if it meant attracting more people outside of paintball, ie, growing the sport? Thank you.

What criteria is put into choosing an acceptable venue for an event?
For example: Are airline flights, general accessibility, rental cost, weather, local support, etc.
This is because it seems as if many great sites for tournaments are chosen over less wanted venues. Ex: Texas, the Northeast, and California for events over other events such as Phoenix and MAO

who did you speak to that suggested these changes? what was your reasoning to making these changes?
and why do encourage helping obese and bigger players? its their fault that they can not make it to their bunkers or fit behind it, they should take the intiative to get in shape, no other sport has endorsed the less skilled and obselete, less athletic team why should the psp? do you think this will take away from the legitamancy of the sport? what are your plans on making paintball for making paintball a legitament sport for outside viewers so that it can be seen as sport to others just not the paintball community

you can be big without being obese you know. there are physically bigger/taller people out there not made of flab and jello(ie football player types)who who are just as athletic as under weight 5’4 teenagers.

Was it ever taken into consideration that when the PSP decided not to pre release they field layouts that it was counter balancing the change last year to 3 day events instead of 4? Many players from different teams that I have spoken to loved how last year those of us with career jobs can show up thursday night, and still be on the same level playing field come friday morning and only miss a day or a day and a half of work.

Now that the layouts are not pre released, you will need to be at the field the whole day before you play to learn the layout. This brings the length of tournaments back to 4 or 5 days for chicago or cup, which is the the far other end of the change made last season to help save players money on travel, missed work and hotel/food costs. I know of multiple players who have to stay at their hotel rooms at events in the mornings before they play or up late at night working on laptops and cell phones just to keep their job and be able to attend events.

Please comment if this will impact you as well. I am currently a recent college grad in my first career job working 60 hours a week and some weekends at a career job to earn enough time off for next year for events.

Why do the field owners have to change the field size? If the layouts are not released it wont help a team practice for a field. If your so content about having the extra ten feet on each side maybe just angle the netting on the back side, this should give you the extra length without having to move poles, buy more netting, ect. Why do fields need to buy new upgrade kits too when there is no field layout? Ten extra feet wont change the how long the games are and with no D side coaching wont people be moving more ( unless you are a robot that cant do anything without a command )? When the BPS changed everyone flipped out because games with last longer and this and that, has that happened? Nope.

Rapid decline in paintball? Have you not read about the percentage of people unemployed? Every single industry has seen a rapid decline in some shape or form. Why not look at the industry leaders and see what they did wrong, flooding the market with free equipment to sponsored players in return making the value of new equipment less and less.

Tournament players are just a small percentage of paintball players. Most of them receive some type of discount in some shape or form and most stores and vendors make the least amount off of them too. Yet they are always the first to complain and want something for free.

Paintball will still be around, people will not quit playing the PSP because of a few changes that they dont like. Hell if you want to boycott the PSP then play the NPPL, oh wait they have longer fields, longer games and larger bunkers ( and terrible refs ). Guess that rules them out! 😉

Everyone boycotts the psp and nppl for a year and let them go bankrupt. Bring regional or local events into the spotlight. have uniform rules for everyone or let them modify rules. Than someone can come along take the best of all rules and create a successful national league that will stick. just a thought.

Will there be or has there been a meeting with the regional event organizers yet? If not is there a way we can watch via live web stream or youtube the following evening. I’d like to hear what the big dogs have to say and what concerns they have. I am a big beleiver that every year that goes by rules should be adjusted accordingly. But changing some of the foundation of this league should be available for us (players) to hear from the horse’s mouth.

To the people stuck on field size….. really? Has to be turf… really? No wonder this sport struggles. Hope for you they don’t take ramping away. Your guns may never shoot. (btw, the single most expensive part of paintball is…. paint. Take away ramping, learn how to shoot, then you may save some money.)

I think paintball needs to be made more affordable at the equipmwnt level. People aren’t going to play no matter what lane wright or any other event promoter does if they can’t afford the gear. You got the major paintball companies like dye and eclipse and others that still want to charge ridiculous prices for a gun in a busted economy filled with people with busted wallets. And to charge 400 for a low end gun is still to much. I mean come on, let’s be real. It does’nt cost that much to finance the making and production of a gun. Come one this has been going on for years. These companies ought to know how to make good guns without having to rob people blind or having to make 400 dollar guns that are junk. Until paintball becomes truly affordable at the equipmnt level and these companies stop being so god forsaken greedy then paintball will grow. It isn’t growing because paintball as a whole as a sport compared to other sports or hobbies just isn’t affordable enough to keep people playing. Even at the field, why would someone go play when it cost them money in fuel, and transpo and they get to the feild and still have to come off 60 to almoat 100 bucks just for a day of play. Paintballs still cost too much as well. It needs to be fixed at that level then people will come back.

Equpiment cost isn’t as bad as paint cost.A case cost around 20.00 bucks from the producer and by the time it gets to the field it’s 70.00. ?? I would play every weekend if paint wasn’t so high.The sport has been built on the back of cases of paint! There should be a certain mark up on all paintball products. Mark up guns 35% from cost Paint 35% from cost Battle Swap 35% from cost ……But what does this have to do with Lane or the PSP …..NOTHING

It has everything to do with lane and the psp. If people can’t afford to play there won’t be a league to play in. If people don’t have the money to spend on gear that’s ridiculously priced who do you think is going to playing in the psp or any other league. NO ONE!!! It starts there in the interview he spoke of trying to garner more teams well the truth is new teams can’t afford to play. It starts at the level of the gear and paint. Why do you think so many of these companies have gone belly up. People don’t have the money. Go to school dude take a couple of eco courses. It’s all related. If people don’t have money and can’t afford the gear where do you think that is going to leave the league. It won’t matter what changes lane makes or any other promoter if people don’t have money. Get a clue.